Will physics 1020/1030 kill my GPA? Do I need to take both courses for the MCAT?

[blairw]

I just finished my first year of school, and I took biol 1020/1030, chem 1300/1310, math 1500, and an arts course. I haven't chosen a major yet, but I've noticed most of them require either one of or both physics 1020/1030.

What is the difficulty of physics compared to general chem and bio? (I found bio okay, but I thought chem was pretty hard). How are physics labs in comparison to chem labs? I don't know anyone else who will be taking the course at the same time as me, whereas in chem I had people to work with.

Is taking this course likely to bring down my GPA? I don't want to hurt my chances of getting into med school.
Do I need to take BOTH physics 1020 and 1030 for the MCAT?

[futureGP]

how did you do on highschool physics?

You will likely need both courses for the MCAT (assuming that both are required to cover kinematics, forces, energy, electricity and magnetism, fluid mechanics, nuclear physics, molecular physics etc)

All of the above topics are covered on the MCAT and taking courses in those areas will help you with understanding.

Sure, you can always take MCAT prep textbooks to learn the above and for some that might be all they need. But realize that a lot of things you learn in med school requires some basic understanding of physics (to think around lung mechanics, blood flow, electrical potential of neurons etc)

[alabaster]

If you are a strong independent learner, taking physics in university is not necessary to do (reasonably) well on the MCAT. Books like the EK series outline exactly what physics topics you need to know, and teach only that material. Additionally, intro physics courses will test you in different ways than the MCAT. The MCAT is very much about applying what you know as opposed to just "plugging-and-chugging" with your physics knowledge. It requires a fairly limited physics knowledge but you really need strong problem solving skills. EK presents physics in the way it will be tested on the MCAT. Physics courses generally do not.

That being said, you should probably evaluate why you are in school... take things that challenge you and that you are interested in and don't worry about GPA too much. In my undergrad, I found that I wound up performing the best on the most stimulating and challenging courses because I was actually interested in them, as opposed to the "bird courses" which I often skipped because they were so dull. It's your first year (or second). Don't worry too much about your GPA. Even a terrible mark will be dropped by Manitoba if you have a 3 or 4 year degree.

[Outlaw]

I wouldn't worry too much about it hurting your gpa. The only thing you should be concerned about is if you need it for your desired major. It would probably be helpful for the MCAT but not by any means essential. Your major will consist of your next 2-3 years of university so I would worry about that before a first year course hurting your gpa.

[taboo]

Originally Posted by alabaster

If you are a strong independent learner, taking physics in university is not necessary to do (reasonably) well on the MCAT. Books like the EK series outline exactly what physics topics you need to know, and teach only that material. Additionally, intro physics courses will test you in different ways than the MCAT. The MCAT is very much about applying what you know as opposed to just "plugging-and-chugging" with your physics knowledge. It requires a fairly limited physics knowledge but you really need strong problem solving skills. EK presents physics in the way it will be tested on the MCAT. Physics courses generally do not.

That being said, you should probably evaluate why you are in school... take things that challenge you and that you are interested in and don't worry about GPA too much. In my undergrad, I found that I wound up performing the best on the most stimulating and challenging courses because I was actually interested in them, as opposed to the "bird courses" which I often skipped because they were so dull. It's your first year (or second). Don't worry too much about your GPA. Even a terrible mark will be dropped by Manitoba if you have a 3 or 4 year degree.

Other than not having a formula sheet, I found the MCAT physics comparable to 1020/1030.